Asserting that the Congress party has no existence left in Sattari taluka, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane recently announced that both the assembly seats   Valpoi and Poriem   will be ruled by him under BJP in future, as his father and Congress senior leader Pratapsingh Rane will not contest the next elections. 

Senior Rane, who is currently the Congress legislator from Poriem constituency, has been the longest serving chief minister of the State as well as the MLA. 

He completed 50 years of his political career this term. On the other hand Junior Rane, BJP candidate for the by-election, is ruling Valpoi constituency since 2007   first as independent and then as Congress MLA. 

Rane said “there is no more Congress in Sattari…in future; both are going to be my seats”. 

Vishwajit’s statement may be a probable hint at introducing his wife Divya in the State politics from Poriem in 2022 election. 

So what does this move mean? Are the Ranes all for themselves? Does party politics not exist in Sattari? Is Sattari under Democracy or Dictatorship?

“Valpoi voters were never Congress voters…they were my voters. With me joining BJP, my vote bank is also shifted to BJP. Now there is only BJP that is ruling Sattari,” he said adding that under Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar focus would be on creating employment opportunities and development in the area. 

Rane has been in the news for mostly the wrong reasons.

He first came on to the political scene after winning as an independent candidate and jumped to the Congress bandwagon in 2007 elections.

He was appointed the Health Minister in the Digambar Kamat government.

What the Congressmen believe was the move of junior Rane to bring in Dayanand Sopte (Mandrem) and Rajesh Patnekar (Bicholim) in Congress which backfired as the party cadres worked against their win in 2012.

Not only Bicholim and Mandrem, the party could not even win the Sanquelim and Mayem seats, where Ranes boast of doing lot of development.

“He has betrayed the party several times still no action was initiated against him,” says a Congressman who did not want to be named.

In 2017 assembly elections too, Rane again wanted five seats   Poriem, Sanquelim, Bicholim, Mayem and Valpoi.

Apart from himself in Valpoi and his father Pratapsingh Rane in Poriem, junior Rane wanted Congress ticket for Pravin Zantye in Mayem, Naresh Sawal in Bicholim and his wife Divya in Sanquelim.

Critics say Rane wanted to join BJP before 2017 elections but plans did not materialise but he was successful enough to get his man Pravin Zantye elected on saffron party ticket.

"I wanted to join hands with BJP before the Assembly elections by forming a regional outfit, Sattari Yuva Morcha. That could not materialise," he said soon after joining BJP.

Vishwajit, who was elected from Valpoi, resigned from the Congress and also quit as MLA after absenting himself from the House when Parrikar sought the crucial trust vote and won. 

He said he was miffed with Congress for failing to form the government despite winning the maximum number of seats.

While reacting strongly to the statement of Rane, Congress in both the constituencies said that there is no king in Sattari and those who want to finish Congress will be finished.

“If there is no Congress in Sattari taluka then how Vishwajeet Pratapsingh Rane was elected on Congress ticket in past elections? In Sattari there is no king; that time has passed long back which Vishwajit should understand”, Aashish Kanekar, senior Congress worker and Valpoi Congress Block Committee President said.

He said that Congress will not be finished in Sattari, it is a national party and those who want to finish it, they themselves will be finished.

“Vishwajit should not speak that all Sattari people are with him. Now all Sattari people are smart, they know what is good and bad”, he said.

Roshan Desai, Mahila Congress of Valpoi Block Committee President said that party has very stronghold in Sattari and not what Vishwajit says. 

“Entire Goa has seen, past many decades only Congress party candidates are getting elected in Sattari Taluka. So it will continue”, she said. 

“We are there with Congress and working for Congress for past 50 years. If in future Pratapsingh Raoji Rane doesn’t want to contest elections and Vishwajit Pratapsingh Rane wants to lead that constituency with BJP ticket, it is his personal decision. We will be always there with Congress in future also”, said Fati Gaonkar, ZP member of Congress from Poriem constituency.